This invention relates to a fish line entering preventing device for marine propellers and more particular to an improved fish line cutting device.
It is well known that the area where the propeller of an outboard drive, such as the outboard drive unit of an inboard-outboard drive or the lower unit of an outboard motor, contains an area between the propeller and the lower unit housing in which weeds and fish line may become entangled. Devices have been incorporated that rotate with the propeller and which cooperate with the lower unit housing so as to cut fish lines and weeds so as to prevent their becoming entangled with the propeller shaft. Such cutting devices have been proven to be highly effective. When the fish line is cut, it can be conveniently removed by tilting up the outboard drive and removing the line manually or, alternatively, the fish line or weeds may clear themselves during operation. However, it is necessary to provide some clearance between the cutting device and the lower unit housing and it is conceivable that the fish line may pass through this clearance and become entangled in the propeller shaft internally of the lower unit.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved device for cutting fish lines and insuring against their entanglement in the propeller shaft.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device that is effective not only to cut fish lines from a marine drive but also to insure against the cut pieces from becoming entangled in the drive shaft within the lower unit housing.